Carbonation error while bottling Cider - OK to reopen bottles?

[muppix]

I made a schoolboy error with my priming sugar quantities while bottling strawberry & pear cider yesterday, only added half as much as I intended because I counted litres and multiplied by bottles. D’oh! Am I right in thinking that I can just sanitise the flip-tops, pop ‘em open, and throw in an extra carbonation drop? I actually batch-primed using brewing sugar, but dextrose is dextrose, right? Half of my bottles were flip-tops and the other half crown caps - I’m thinking I’ll only do half of them and will leave the other half to semi-carbonate, hedging my bets in case something goes wrong.

On a related note, is cider as sensitive to oxygen as beer? I’ve never really bothered to try and eliminate O2 from my cider processes in the past, but now that I’m also brewing beer I’ve become much more aware of the perils associated with oxygenation. Should I apply those learnings to cider also, or is it not as crucial?

 

[thegrantickle]

Aye! It won't have had much activity in a day! just do it sooner rather than later, and of course be super careful with sanitation :)

 

[thegrantickle]

On a related note, is cider as sensitive to oxygen as beer? I’ve never really bothered to try and eliminate O2 from my cider processes in the past, but now that I’m also brewing beer I’ve become much more aware of the perils associated with oxygenation. Should I apply those learnings to cider also, or is it not as crucial?

No, the oxidation is related to hop oils, so unless you're dry hopping your cider, you're fine.

 

[muppix]

Thanks on both counts mate, appreciate it! I'm off to add some more priming sugar now ... and to think I bottled 'em last night using my new beer gun... and no small amount of CO2. Double d'oh!

 

[thegrantickle]

Ach it happens mate! As anything, not about the mistakes you make but how you learn from them! Let us know how they turn out in a couple of weeks!